Johannesburg - Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane says there is no place for "cowards" in his team as they prepare for a must-win CAF Champions League matchday 3 clash Friday.
The South African outfit, who won the elite African club competition in 2016, host ASEC Mimosas from the Ivory Coast with both sides having three points from two matches.
Sundowns edged 2017 champions Wydad Casablanca from Morocco 2-1 in the previous matchday after a fiery Pretoria duel that ended with Mosimane hailing the fighting spirit of his side.
"The days when my players were cheese boys (physically and mentally soft) are over. Now we fight fire with fire. There is no room for cowards," he stressed.
"If you lack a never-say-die mentality, forget about wearing the colours of Sundowns. Our aim is to play entertaining football, but we (are) also ready to fight.
"ASEC are a technical and physical team whom we respect, but we have no option but to win at home. I believe we can take four points from our two matches against them."
The fighting talk from Mosimane comes against a backdrop of criticism that South African clubs have underachieved in Africa because they are too gentle physically and mentally.